Betty by Gary Delainey and Gerry Rasmussen for April 20, 2020

Betty, I like your idea of a break!

Good thinking!

Excellent.

The fewest people possible are supposed to go out for essential items. It’s not a recreational outing. Stay home. Stay safe. And learn to get along with your own children.

Where I live, people are supposed to shop alone….

though I’ve seen mostly couples the few times I’ve been out.

 

Store signs say they don’t let children in … but even though it’s been 9 pm, some were riding in carts…

A few older kids were even wandering alone, unsupervised…. which seems very irresponsible of parents.

 

I understand if a single mother has to bring young children… she may have no one to watch them other than herself.

But if I see a couple and their kids, I really want to ask them (though I don’t) why one of them couldn’t stay home, or at least in the car with the children.

 

I live alone, with no offers of help….

and I don’t need enough to order groceries delivered.

So although I’m pretty high risk, I’ve gone by myself… only three times, counting the day before lockdown on March 16th, then about two weeks apart.

I always wish there were no children there, for their safety…. and for mine.

Actually went grocery shopping by my self for the first time since lock-down. My wife is too young for the Senior hours, plus getting out of the house at 6 am …

I’m one of those “essential” people…I work in a restaurant. Can’t stay home if no one else does…

her son is sitting there quietly playing a game, wonder why she had a child.

I’m surprised to see large families still shopping together. None of them with PPE, either.

I live in Ontario too, and only one person can go into the store. They wait until someone exits, they they let you in. No Frills.

But I laughed at this because I get it. Shopping these days is an outing.

It’s not just about you, and your family.

It’s important for people to understand.

 

My county, and others, have passed ordinances requiring us to wear masks in public places, as well as not going out in a group, if possible.

These restrictions are not to protect those who go out, or who wear the mask.

They’re to protect EVERYBODY ELSE, in case you or one of your party is carrying the virus and doesn’t know.

That has been a MAJOR route of transmission, and has killed thousands of people

 

There can be a 2 week incubation period after exposure while the virus is undetectable.

Even people with active cases may have NO symptoms, and no knowledge that they’ve been infected or even exposed…but they can readily infect others.

Your whole family could be carriers, and without adequate and frequent testing, might never even find out.

Only a fairly small percentage of the infected have very bothersome symptoms, far fewer are hospitalised or die.

But a more vulnerable person could catch it from you, and die.

 

Limiting the number of people in stores, parks, and gatherings, reduces all of our interactions with the UNKNOWINGLY infected.

If four of you are in the store, that’s four possible carriers instead of one.

 

A home made mask will NOT protect YOU from the Coronavirus…

You may be required to wear one because it limits the possible contamination of others BY YOU,

as does isolating yourself at home,

just in CASE you’re a carrier who doesn’t yet know it.

And not ONE of us can blithely assume we are not.

Our health officials are telling us not to shop with our kids. This is misinformation. And people have been yelled at for this, even if the kids are teens. The minimal number of people out during the covid crisis the better.